The effects of synbiotics surpass prebiotics in improving inflammatory biomarkers in children and adults: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-evidence of data from 5207 participants in 90 randomized controlled trials
Several trials have revealed the beneficial effects of synbiotics on inflammatory biomarkers. Nevertheless, the findings drawn from extant trials remain contentious. This meta-analysis evaluated the effects of synbiotics and prebiotics on inflammatory and anti-inflammatory biomarkers in children and...
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Elsevier
2025-08-01
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| author | Yining Zhang Junjie Hong Yingli Zhang Yuzhen Gao Leilei Liang |
| author_facet | Yining Zhang Junjie Hong Yingli Zhang Yuzhen Gao Leilei Liang |
| author_sort | Yining Zhang |
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| description | Several trials have revealed the beneficial effects of synbiotics on inflammatory biomarkers. Nevertheless, the findings drawn from extant trials remain contentious. This meta-analysis evaluated the effects of synbiotics and prebiotics on inflammatory and anti-inflammatory biomarkers in children and adults. We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Scopus, and Web of Science until February 2024 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding synbiotic supplementation for inflammation biomarkers. The GRADE approach was applied to assess the quality of evidence, and the Cochrane risk-of-bias (RoB) tool was used to evaluate study quality. Ninety RCTs with 5207 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Finding revealed that biotic supplementation could significantly improve CRP (Synbiotics; SMD = −0.51; 95 % CI: −1.00, −0.03, P = 0.036, and prebiotics; SMD = −0.81; 95 % CI: −1.51, −0.10, P = 0.026), hs-CRP (Synbiotics; SMD = −0.66; 95 % CI: −0.96, −0.37; P < 0.001, and prebiotics; SMD = −0.50; 95 % CI: −0.86, −0.15; P = 0.006), TNF-α (Synbiotics; SMD = −0.70, 95 % CI: −1.16, −0.23; P = 0.003, and prebiotics; SMD = −0.57, 95 % CI: −0.93, −0.21; P = 0.002), IL-1β (Synbiotics; SMD = −1.35; 95 % CI: −2.44, −0.27, P = 0.014, and prebiotics; SMD = −0.44; 95 % CI: −0.76, −0.12, P = 0.006), and IL-6 (Synbiotics; SMD = −2.02, 95 % CI: −2.86, −1.18; P < 0.001, and prebiotics; SMD = −0.41, 95 % CI: −0.80, −0.03; P = 0.036) in adults. In contrast, synbiotics failed to show beneficial effects in children. However, in adults, prebiotics illustrated a significant reducing effect on IL-8 (SMD = −1.47, 95 % CI: −2.68, −0.26; P = 0.011). Overall, supplementation with synbiotics and prebiotics beneficially improved adult inflammatory biomarkers. However, based on subgroup analysis, our results revealed a significant reduction in inflammatory biomarkers following synbiotics administration in short-term supplementation (<10 weeks) among adults. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b05ac66ef0844f44a87e9460fd067bfb |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1096-1186 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-b05ac66ef0844f44a87e9460fd067bfb2025-08-20T02:45:42ZengElsevierPharmacological Research1096-11862025-08-0121810783210.1016/j.phrs.2025.107832The effects of synbiotics surpass prebiotics in improving inflammatory biomarkers in children and adults: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-evidence of data from 5207 participants in 90 randomized controlled trialsYining Zhang0Junjie Hong1Yingli Zhang2Yuzhen Gao3Leilei Liang4Department of Clinical Laboratory, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, ChinaDepartment of Gynecological Oncology, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, ChinaDepartment of Gynecological Oncology, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China; Corresponding authors.Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310013, ChinaDepartment of Gynecological Oncology, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China; Corresponding authors.Several trials have revealed the beneficial effects of synbiotics on inflammatory biomarkers. Nevertheless, the findings drawn from extant trials remain contentious. This meta-analysis evaluated the effects of synbiotics and prebiotics on inflammatory and anti-inflammatory biomarkers in children and adults. We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Scopus, and Web of Science until February 2024 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding synbiotic supplementation for inflammation biomarkers. The GRADE approach was applied to assess the quality of evidence, and the Cochrane risk-of-bias (RoB) tool was used to evaluate study quality. Ninety RCTs with 5207 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Finding revealed that biotic supplementation could significantly improve CRP (Synbiotics; SMD = −0.51; 95 % CI: −1.00, −0.03, P = 0.036, and prebiotics; SMD = −0.81; 95 % CI: −1.51, −0.10, P = 0.026), hs-CRP (Synbiotics; SMD = −0.66; 95 % CI: −0.96, −0.37; P < 0.001, and prebiotics; SMD = −0.50; 95 % CI: −0.86, −0.15; P = 0.006), TNF-α (Synbiotics; SMD = −0.70, 95 % CI: −1.16, −0.23; P = 0.003, and prebiotics; SMD = −0.57, 95 % CI: −0.93, −0.21; P = 0.002), IL-1β (Synbiotics; SMD = −1.35; 95 % CI: −2.44, −0.27, P = 0.014, and prebiotics; SMD = −0.44; 95 % CI: −0.76, −0.12, P = 0.006), and IL-6 (Synbiotics; SMD = −2.02, 95 % CI: −2.86, −1.18; P < 0.001, and prebiotics; SMD = −0.41, 95 % CI: −0.80, −0.03; P = 0.036) in adults. In contrast, synbiotics failed to show beneficial effects in children. However, in adults, prebiotics illustrated a significant reducing effect on IL-8 (SMD = −1.47, 95 % CI: −2.68, −0.26; P = 0.011). Overall, supplementation with synbiotics and prebiotics beneficially improved adult inflammatory biomarkers. However, based on subgroup analysis, our results revealed a significant reduction in inflammatory biomarkers following synbiotics administration in short-term supplementation (<10 weeks) among adults.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661825002579SynbioticsPrebioticsInflammation biomarkersMeta-analysis |
| spellingShingle | Yining Zhang Junjie Hong Yingli Zhang Yuzhen Gao Leilei Liang The effects of synbiotics surpass prebiotics in improving inflammatory biomarkers in children and adults: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-evidence of data from 5207 participants in 90 randomized controlled trials Pharmacological Research Synbiotics Prebiotics Inflammation biomarkers Meta-analysis |
| title | The effects of synbiotics surpass prebiotics in improving inflammatory biomarkers in children and adults: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-evidence of data from 5207 participants in 90 randomized controlled trials |
| title_full | The effects of synbiotics surpass prebiotics in improving inflammatory biomarkers in children and adults: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-evidence of data from 5207 participants in 90 randomized controlled trials |
| title_fullStr | The effects of synbiotics surpass prebiotics in improving inflammatory biomarkers in children and adults: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-evidence of data from 5207 participants in 90 randomized controlled trials |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effects of synbiotics surpass prebiotics in improving inflammatory biomarkers in children and adults: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-evidence of data from 5207 participants in 90 randomized controlled trials |
| title_short | The effects of synbiotics surpass prebiotics in improving inflammatory biomarkers in children and adults: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-evidence of data from 5207 participants in 90 randomized controlled trials |
| title_sort | effects of synbiotics surpass prebiotics in improving inflammatory biomarkers in children and adults a systematic review meta analysis and meta evidence of data from 5207 participants in 90 randomized controlled trials |
| topic | Synbiotics Prebiotics Inflammation biomarkers Meta-analysis |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661825002579 |
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